María Luisa Penne

María Luisa Penne Rullan de Castillo (11 September 1913 – 6 October 2005), born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, was a painter, artist, and educator who taught and influenced the work of well-known artists such as Noemí Ruiz, Jaime Carrero, Rafael Rivera Garcia, and printmaker Susanna Herrero among others.

Early life Doña María Luisa was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico on September 11, 1913.

Education Doña Maria Luisa attended the Pratt Institute in New York from 1932 to 1935 and became the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the prestigious art and design institute. She continued her studies, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puerto Rico in 1939 and a master's in Art from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1947. Her doctoral studies were conducted at Columbia University in New York.

After returning to Puerto Rico, Mrs. Castillo or "la teacher" - as she was known to her disciples - began to work for the empowerment of women in the art world, a field traditionally reserved for male members of society. She firmly believed in the importance of education as a means to achieve such empowerment. Therefore, she decided to get involved in the field of art education.

Penne Rullan designed and implemented the art curriculum for the Polytechnic Institute of San Germán (now known as the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico) and for the Colegio de Mayaguez also known as the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. She was Head of the Department of Fine Arts at both institutions from 1940–1961 and 1961–1980, respectively.

Personal life Penne Rullan married Don Francisco Castillo Amy and had two children.

Death Penne died in San Juan, Puerto Rico in October 2005.

Disciples Among Penne's students was Rafael Rivera Garcia.

Artist work and legacy

Some of her art work can be seen at the collection of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and at the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico.

Important expositions in her honor

Name of Exposition Sponsor Date Pinturas y Artes Applicadas de María Luisa P. de Castillo University of Puerto Rico 1948 Cuadros para el hogar: Acuarelas de María Luisa P. de Castillo Hotel Condado 1952 Exposición de acuarelas de María Luisa P. De Castillo Colegio de Agricultura y Artes Mecánicas de Mayaguez 1961 Retrospectiva de María Luisa P. de Castillo Departamento de Instrucción Pública 1972 Exposición Homenaje a María Luisa Castillo Universidad Interamericana, Recinto de San Germán 1979 Exposición Homenaje a María Luisa Castillo Ateneo Puertorriqueño 1985 Exposición Retrospectiva: María Luisa Penne de Castillo Museo Casa Roig 1998 Las Tres Luisas Universidad del Sagrado Corazon 2010

Some collective expositions

Name of Exposition Sponsor Date Primera Exposición Arte Independiente de Puerto Rico en la UPR Universidad de Puerto Rico 1939 Liga de Artistas Americanos Ateneo Puertorriqueño 1945 El paisaje de Puerto Rico Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña 1961 Museo de Arte de Ponce Museo de Arte de Ponce 1968 IV Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano 1979 Exposición Colectiva de Mujeres Artistas dedicada a la Prof. María Luisa Castillo La Fortaleza 1979 Pintura y gráfica de los años 50 Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña 1985 Mujeres Artistas de Puerto Rico Museo de Bellas Artes del Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña 1986 De Oller a los Cuarenta: La pintura en Puerto Rico 1898–1948 Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte de la Universidad de Puerto Rico 1988 Mujeres Artistas: Protagonistas de los Ochenta Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico 1990 Los tesoros de la pintura puertorriqueña Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico 2000